When the Geiselman family went to Disney World in October, they were excited to explore the recently opened Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction. But they were completely taken by surprise when a couple approached their 5-year-old Belle and gave her a very special gift: a gold ring, meant to commemorate the one-year anniversary of their daughter's Make-a-Wish trip. The Geiselman family was so touched, they shared the sweet story on Facebook, in hopes of connecting with the kind strangers who had no idea how much the gesture meant to them.
It was Belle's mom, Kara Geiselman, who first shared the incredible story online.
In a Facebook post, the mom of four explained that after a full morning of exploring Walt Disney World, the family was thoroughly tuckered out by the afternoon.
"We were all tired and enjoying a much needed snack break in the shade," she recalled. "Belle had followed [my husband] Kyle to throw something in the trash and in the meantime she almost ran directly in to a couple."
After apologizing for the near-collision, it seemed as if the strangers were making a split-second decision.
"The woman then looked at her husband and asked Kyle if Belle liked gold," Kara wrote. "Confused Kyle said yes. She then asked if they could gift Belle something. Kyle said of course."
That was when the woman pulled out a child-sized ring.
"The couple proceeds to tell Kyle how they were at Hollywood Studios marking the one-year anniversary of their daughter’s Make-a-Wish trip," the mom wrote. "On their initial trip they had bought two gold Mickey Mouse rings, one for their daughter and one to gift to a child who in their words, 'was adorable like their little girl.'”
Little did the strangers know that the Geiselmans knew the pain of a sick child all too well.
Speaking with CafeMom, Kara explains that Belle is a twin. She and her sister, Milly, were born prematurely at 30 weeks and 5 days, because of complications from twin to twin transfusion syndrome.
"It is a condition in which the placenta provides in essence unequal nutrients to the babies; one ends up receiving too much and one baby too little," Kara explains. "It’s extremely dangerous for both babies and there’s a high in-utero mortality rate."
Belle was born gravely ill and placed on full life-support for several days, followed by four months in the NICU while her lungs were stabilized and nurses helped her grow.
Even after Belle was finally discharged, she still needed an oxygen tank to breathe until she was 10 months old, and required a feeding tube until she was 3 1/2.
"She’s had countless hospitalizations due to her lung disease and hundreds of hours of therapy relating to her prematurity and health issues," Kara adds. "A lot of her major issues have been resolved but she still may face other challenges in the future."
The journey was difficult, but it's also what made the family's chance meeting in Disney World seem that much more magical.
After the couple gave Belle the ring, Kara said Kyle was stunned.
"He wanted to tell them so much that he was sorry for their insurmountable loss and about our own little warrior, but in the moment only 'thank you' came out," she continued. "The fact that they chose Belle without knowing her struggles in life brings tears to my eyes. They didn’t know that we were back at the place where our daughter surprised us all and started eating by mouth for the first time at 18 months old, or that this trip was the first time she traveled to Disney without needing a feeding tube for nourishment or an oxygen mask on the flight."
Kara tells us that she wrote the message hoping to connect with the couple, because they left before the Geiselmans could get their names.
"My whole reason for sharing the story was because we were so inspired by the generosity of a couple who experienced such an unimaginable heartache," she says. "At the same time, as a mom I needed them to know that the gift was in fact cherished and that it went to a child who can and does appreciate it."
The post has since been shared over 2,000 times and in a stroke of good luck, Kara says that a friend of the couple saw her story and reached out, hoping to connect them.
"We know who they are at this point, but we are hoping to connect in the near future via phone," she tells CafeMom, adding that they are not sharing the couple's name at this time out of respect for their privacy.
At the end of the day, however, Kara says it was heartening to see her story touch so many people across the Internet.
"Honestly, since having a sick child, the quote 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,'” has really resonated with me," she says. "So many people have seen this story and said that it restored their faith in humanity and how happy they were to read this kind of story as opposed to so much negativity in the media."
And this, my friends, is exactly why Disney is so magical.